Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-07-27
[Fom Yonkes On. " Gazette ]
Important to Parents.


[Fom Yonkes On. W Gazette.l
Important to Parents.
HOW TO SAVE THE DEAR LITTLE BABIES.
The warm weather is at hand and SO is
cholera infantum and infantle diarrhea,
the annual scourge of innocent babies.
During the summer of 1886 there were fifty
five deaths in this city among childred un-
der five years of age from those diseases.
What is the cause of this excessive infantile
mortality? Various causes are assigned,
such for example as extreme heat, teeth
ing. etc., but the true cause is to be found
in the unsanitary condition of the dwellings
OF these children, improper feeding and i'm
pure air.
How may bright little babies are annual
ly consigned to premature graves, through
impure air and improper feeding, God on
'ly knows. The great problem to be solved,
then, is the preservation of, won't say all,
but many of these children of tender age.
This can be accomplished in time by pa
tiently educating the people to better
knowledge. and observance of the laws that
are being now almost universally acknowl-
edged to guarantee the only safe course
over the ever dashing pillows of life's jour-
ney. When sanitary and hygienic laws
shall have been understood and practiced,
this frightful mortality Of infants will be
reduced to minimum.
Rules which ought to be observed by the
mother of every infant: First-Nurse your
child from your own breast, if possible. A
child nursed by the milk of its mother is
generally able to survive the heated term,
even though the immediate surroundings
should be unclean, whereas the infant
brought up on the bottle, as it is called, but
in all other respects subject to the same
sanitry influences, will usually succumb
during the month of July or August, and it
is no eYaggeration to say that seventy five
per cent of the deaths among children occur
in bottle-fed children. Many mothers, with
out any fault of theirs, are unable to nurse
their own children, but there are vast
number who can nurse their babes but will
not The tyranny of fashion and the social
habits of modern society tend to unfit wo-
men for the maternal office. We may be
permitted to ask the significant question:
How long will these mothers continue this
unnatural warfare against their innocent
offspring?
Second-When your children are we'll do
your utmost to keep them so as far as pos
sible, by taking them where the air is pure
and cool during the warm weather-to the
seashore, an open square, elevated places,
or along the banks of the Hudson. All
sources of impure air in and about the
dwelling should be removed; the drainage
should be looked after carefully; the water
for drinking should be pure; water taken
from well within fifty feet of vault or
cesspoOl, should not be used until it is rem
dered pure by boiling for ten minutes. No
slOps, or other soiled water, should be
thrown or allowed to run in the yard, or
into the street, or gutter, in the immediate
vicinity of your residence. See to it that
all waste or drain pipes in your house are
tigh, trapped and ventilated. If your Gel
lars are dark, damp and badly aired, report
the same to the sanitary inspector, or if the
house is your own, drain and clean the GEL
lar and whitewash the walls often. The
damp, impure air of the cellar is constantly
diffusing its deathly germs of disease all
over the house, unless pure air is allowed
to circulate freely. IF there are ill-smelling
vaults, sinks or drains on the prem ises dis
infect the same every day by means Of the
following solution: One-half pound of
chloride of lime dissolved in gallon of
water. From one to two pints of this So
luton thrown into q vault, sink or drain
will destroy all bad odors.
y
summer, by placing them in bath tub or
other convenient vessel, provided with
enough Of water to cover the body. This
water should be about blood heat for the
new born, but may be cooler for babes one
month or more old. Babies should sleep in
cradles or cribs, and not in the same bed
with other persons, and should be provided
with plenty of fresh air day and night.
Fourth-The new born should, when pos
sible, live altogether on the mothers milk;
il not, the milk of the cow must be used,
it being the best substitute for mothers
milk. Cows milk should be procured pure
aud fresh, night and morning, hot from
the cow if possible; if it has time to cool, it
should be thoroughly done Immediately af-
ter milking. Whether the baby be nursed
or bottle-fed, the meals should be given at
regular intervals during the day, every two,
three or four hours, according to the age
and vigor of the child; during the night on
ly once or twice. Cows milk is not always
well digested by infants under six months
old, nor often by older once. The ours
that it forms is often vomited or passed
through the bowels and appears in the dis
charges. 1t therefore becomes necessary
to dilute it with water, or some other ma
terial. When water is used, it is usually
found best to give from one-third to one
half milk, and from twO-thirds to one-half
water for the first month or six weeks, and
then to gradually diminish the amount of
water, until at the age of six or eight
months the milk may be given without
water. If large curds are vomited or
passed by the bowels, small quantity of
baking soda should be added to each bottle
of milk; or one tablespoonful of lime water
will sometimes answer, also little sugar.
In case the bowels are relaxed, pearl bar
ley may be added with advantage to the
milk, instead of water. One tablespoonful
of recently ground pearl barley, is left to
soak over night in quart of water. In the
morning it is boiled down to one pint and
strained while hot. When cold it should
be mixed with milk, generally in equal
parts, only when about to be used. Oat-
meal may be treated in the same way, and
is preferable if the bowels are constipated.
The nursing bottle should be of the SIM
plest arrangement. The best consists of a
perfectly plain bottle with a tapering neck
large enough to hold one-half pint, over
the lip of which is snapped smooth, soft,
black rubber nipple, with holes small
enough to prevent too rapid flow of milk.
The bottle and nipple should Immediately
after using, be rinsed out and left immersed
in cold water until wanted for use again.
At the age of seven or eight months, child
may have some meat soup, or some beef
tea, and crust of bread occasionally.
Avoid candies, pies, cake, unriped or over
ripes fruits, soothing syrup or other nos
trums. The best clothing for children is
flannel in all seasons of the year, especially
in the cool weather following the heat Of
August, as infants are very susceptible to
the influence of cold.
II VALENTINE BROWNE. M. D.,
Health Officer.